Improvement in methods of smelting copper



E. E; SLUDER. Mmmm oF SMELTING'GO'P'PER.

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TME GRAPHIC comm' UNITED STATES PATENT QEEICE.

EDWIN E. SLUDER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF SEVEN-TENTHS OF HISRIGHT TO WM. L. REYNOLDS, WM. B. DEAN, CHARLES D. MOODY, AND SAMUEL S.BOYD, ALL OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN METHODS OF SMELTING COPPER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 184,988, dated December5,1876; application led March 28, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWIN E. SLUDER, aresident of the city and-county of St. Louis, State of Missouri, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in the Method of' Smelting Copper,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Heretofore in smelting copper it has been commonly the custom to employseveral distinct processes. The mixed ores were first roasted, thecoarse metal then smelted, then calcined, fused, and roasted, when itwas finally ready, for the poling77 process.

The presentinven tion relates to an improved method by which all theordinary kinds of copper can be smelted directly from the ores of asingle or mixed varieties, and, by a single process only, made ready forthe .poling process. Y

The manner of conducting my method is as follows: I employ an openfurnace of ordinary construction, such as is generally known as aforge-fire. A re is built therein in the usual way, and then a smallamount, say, forty (40) or fifty (50) pounds of ores, either mixed or ofany single variety, suitably broken up, is spread thereupon, togetherwith a proper flux, such as quicklime, and all making what is called at-hin fire. An air-blast is introduced through tuyeres, arranged atsuitable points so as to direct the blast to the lower part of thecharge.

An intense white heat is maintained in the furnace. The ores are rapidlyreduced to a molten bath, in which the copper is held in solution withthe slag. This bath remains under the influence of the high temperaturedescribed for a period of, say, twenty minutes, during which the foreignsubstances are partially volatilized, and partially formed into a slag,which floats upon the bath of copper, which gradually separates andcollects in the bottom of the furnace, whence it is drawn off through aproper opening.

The shallowness of the fire enables the volatile portion to readily passoff. The airblast facilitates its passage, but is especially useful inmaintaining the high temperature requisite, and at the proper point,viz., within the charge, and also in supporting the requisite amount ofoxygen for the separation of the foreign substances from the copper.

Being an open furnace, the outer air can readily enter, the fire is notsmothered, and the fire and charge can be readily reached, it beingessential that the charge, especially in the line of the tuyeres, beloosened from time to time by the introduction of suitable implements.

All of the ordinary kinds of copper ores can be reduced by theabove-described process, sulphuret of copper, copper pyrites, graycopper, as well as those free from sulphur, such as carbonate or oxideof copper.

The furnace I have found most convenient and efficient in operating mymethod is shown in accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is avertical cross-section, and Fig. 2 a front elevation.

Like letters denote corresponding parts in each figure.

A represents the furnace, and B the tuyeres. The furnace is preferablyprovided with a detachable bottom and a re-place, G, below the same, forpreventing the chilling of the bottom. O represents a molten bath belowthe ores,in which the copper is held in solution with the slag, and Dthe bath ofcopper separated from the slag and collected at the bottom ofthe furnace. H H are the tedy holes for the slag, and a an opening,through which the copper is drawn off.

I lay no claim in this application to the furl nace described and shown,since it forms the subject of a concurrent application for LettersPatent of W. L. Reynolds and myself.

I do not wish it be understood that I claim the broad invention ofreducing all copper ores by a single process to a condition for poling;but

WhatI do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

The method described of producing'copper ready for the poling process ata single operation, by introducing the ores,- (either of the same ordifferent kinds,) fuel, and ux in a mixed state into an open furnace,into which a current or currents of airis introduced, substantially asset forth.

EDWIN E. SLUDER. Witnesses:

CEAS. D. MOODY, SAME. S. BOYD.

